Apparatus for handling strand material



Dec. 3, 1940. E. E. NEWTON ETAL 2 9 Y APPARATUS FOR HANDLING STRANDMATERIAL Original Filed Jan. 14, 1936 FIG.

Patented Dec. 3, 1940 APPARATUS FOR HANDLING STRAND MATERIAL Edwin E.Newton, Montreal, Quebec, and Hugh P. Ray, Mount Royal, Quebec, Canada,assignors to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., acorporation of New York Original application January 14, 1936, SerialNo. 59,062, which is a division of application Serial No. 648,414,December 22, 1932. Divided and this application June 21, 1939, SerialNo. 280,298

4 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for. handling strand material, andmore particularly to wire spooling apparatus, and this application is adivision of our co-pending application, Serial No. 59,062, filed January14, 1936, which latter application, now Patent No. 2,177,373, is adivision of our application, Serial No. 648,414, filed December 22,1932, now Patent No. 2,032,950.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive andefficient apparatus for winding or spooling strand material.

In accordance with the above object, one embodiment of the inventioncontemplates the provision of a wire spooling apparatus in which atake-up spool is frictionally driven through coaxial driving and drivenfriction disks which are pressed into driving engagement by a springring, the driving pressure being adjustable by axial movement of thedriving disk relative to the driven disk by means of a ring-shaped yokepivotally connected to the driving disk and arranged to swing about afixed external pivot. The take-up spool is removably supported upon asheet metal holder comprising an annular disk having a series of equallyspaced resilient arms projecting from the periphery thereof in alternateopposite directions and at right angles to the plane of the disk.

A complete understanding of the invention 30 and the novel featuresthereof may be had from the following detailed description when read inconjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is alongitudinal sectional view of a wire spooling apparatus embodying theinvention;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional View taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

40 Referring to the drawing, there is shown in Fig. l a portion of asuitable supporting frame ID, in which there is rotatably journalled adriving shaft only a portion of which is shown. A bracket I2 is securedto the supporting frame 45 and houses a driven shaft l4, which isdisposed in axial alignment with the driving shaft. The

driven shaft is operatively connected to and driven from the drivingshaft through a friction drive comprising coaxial driving and drivenfriction metal disks l6 and II, respectively. The driven friction diskis secured to the inner end of the driven shaft and the drlving frictiondisk is carried by a sleeve l8, Islidably keyed to the driving shaft II.The sleeveis fixed in the inner race of a ball bearing 20and the outerrace of the ball bearing is fixed in a ring 2| so that the sleeve isslidable with the ring and is free to rotate therein. A ring-shaped.yoke 22-surrounds the ring 2| and. is formed with diametrically opposedcylindrical and forked projections 24 and 25, respectively. A fulcrumscrew 26 is secured to the supporting frame and extends into thecylindrical projection of the ring-shaped yoke. A double collaradjusting screw 28 is assembled in the forked projection of the yoke andis threaded into the supporting frame. Two pivot screws 30, 30 aresecured to the ring portion of yoke 22 at diametrically opposed pointsspaced 90 from the fulcrum screw 26. The pivot screws pivot indiametrically opposed holes in the ring 2|. Thus, when the adjustingscrew 28 is turned, the ring-shaped yoke 22 is rocked about the fulcrumscrew 26 and by means of the pivot screws 30, ring 2| and ball bearing20, an endwise movement is imparted to the sleeve I8 longitudinally ofthe driving shaft The driving disk I6 is slidably keyed to the sleeve l8by means of three headed pins 32, 32, and a soft felt friction disk 34is secured to the metal driving disk on the side facing the driven diskll. A corrugated spring ring 36 is interposed between metal driving diskIB and sleeve I8 and surrounds the three pins 32. When the yoke 22 isrocked toward the driven disk l1, the sleeve l8 slides in the samedirection and compresses the spring ring 36. This increases the pressurebetween the driving friction disk l6 and the driven friction disk l1.

Attached to the outer end of driven shaft I4 is a spool holder 31, whichis formed from a sheet of spring steel and has a body in the form of aring or annular disk 38 with six equally spaced radial arms extendingtherefrom. Three alternate arms 39, 39 extend outwardly and each isformed with an embossment on the end thereof, as shown at 40. The otherthree arms 4|, 4| extend inwardly and each is formed with a shoulder onthe end thereof, as shown at 42. The sheet steel from which the spoolholder is formed is of sufficient thickness to insure proper spring inthe arms 39 to permit sliding a take-up spool 45 over the embossments atthe ends of the arms and, when the spool is in its normal positionagainst the shoulders 42 of the arms 4|, to provide sufficient springpressure against the inside of the drum of the take-up spool to driveit.

In the operation of the apparatus, the driving friction disk I6 isrotated at all times a little faster than the maximum desired speed forthe take-up spool 45 and driven disk ll, but the rotation of the spoolis retarded by the tension of the wire being spooled. Therefore,regardless of the diameter of the spooled wire upon the spool, the spoolwill rotate only as fast as is permitted by the delivery of wirethereto, and the tension of the wire being spooled is regulated by thepressure between the friction driving surfaces. The rotation of thespool may be stopped by disengaging the friction surfaces.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to theparticular embodiments thereof herein illustrated and described, exceptinsofar as is defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a strand handling apparatus, a driven take-up spool shaft, adriving shaft coaxial therewith, and an adjustable friction drivebetween the two shafts comprising a driven friction disk secured to thedriven shaft, a sleeve slidably keyed to the driving shaft, a drivingfriction disk mounted on the sleeve for rotation therewith, a ringrotatable on the sleeve and. slidable therewith, a yoke having aring-shaped portion surrounding said ring, a cylindrical projection onone side of the ring-shaped portion and a forked projectiondiametrically opposite the cylindrical projection, a fulcrum screwextending into said cylindrical projection, a pair of pivots connectingthe ring-shaped portion of the yoke and the ring, and an adjustablescrew connected with said forked projection for swinging the yoke on thefulcrum screw to move the driving friction. disk toward and away fromthe driven friction disk.

2. In a strand handling apparatus, a take-up spool shaft, a drivenfriction disk secured thereto, a driving shaft coaxial with the take-upspool shaft, a sleeve slidably keyed to the driving shaft, a drivingfriction disk carried by said sleeve and rotatable therewith for drivingsaid driven disk, and means for adjusting the driving pressure betweensaid disks comprising a 'ring rotatable on said sleeve and slidabletherewith, a ring-shaped yoke surrounding said ring and pivotallyconnected thereto at diametrically opposed points, a fixed externalpivot for said yoke intermediate said opposed points, and means for swig ng said yoke about said pivot to move said driving disk relative tosaid driven disk.

3. In a strand handling apparatus, a rotary take-up spool support, meansfor rotating said support comprising a driving friction disk and adriven friction disk, and means for adjusting the driving pressurebetween said disks comprising a slidable member connected to the drivingdisk, a ring rotatable on said member and slidable therewith, aring-shaped yoke surrounding said ring and pivotally connected theretoat diametrically opposed points, a fixed external pivot for said yokeintermediate said opposed points, and means connected to said yokediametrically opposite said fixed pivot for swinging said yoke aboutsaid pivot to move the driving disk relative to the driven disk.

4. In a strand handling apparatus, a rotatable reel supporting member, afriction disk coaxial with said member, a coaxial spring ring yieldablypressing said friction disk against a surface of said member, and ametallic disk between the friction disk and said spring ring.

EDWIN E. NEWTON. HUGH P. RAY.

